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Sake & Samurai box art
2011 Ranked #15,755

Sake & Samurai

A combat game has rival samurai fight for the most sake before a sudden-death round. Drinking disables resources but can later buy bonuses, while defeated warriors return as spirits to steal from the living.

Party Games Card Game Fighting Open Drafting Hand Management

Players

3-8

Play time

Not listed

Age

13+

Complexity

2.23/5

Rating

5.98

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.3/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 3.9/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.7/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.0/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.5/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

A few samurai warriors are sitting at a table in a small inn, talking and bragging about swords, women and honor. Sake flows freely, but not even the cellars of Bishamon, the God of War, could quench the thirst of Japan's greatest swordsmen.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

A few samurai warriors are sitting at a table in a small inn, talking and bragging about swords, women and honor. Sake flows freely, but not even the cellars of Bishamon, the God of War, could quench the thirst of Japan's greatest swordsmen. Servants run for cover, knowing full well where all this is going. Suddenly an eerie silence fills the common room. On the table, only one full cup remains. Who will get the last drink? Will it be the elder of the group, or shall the greatest warrior have it? Time seems to stretch to infinity, until one hand makes a move toward the cup. Such insolence! This insult shall not be tolerated! The elder goes for his sword... We shall never know whether the bold samurai was taking the cup for himself or only to hand it to his venerable companion. It does not matter: all warriors take offense and draw their katanas, joining the fight at the call of "SAAKEEE!" In Sake & Samurai you are a fierce and thirsty samurai warrior, willing to do anything to get the last cup of Sake. The winner is the most drunk samurai – in game terms, the player who has collected the most Sake drink counters – at the end of the Sudden Death round. Be wary, though, for drinking too much will dull your wits and mastery with the sword. Each drink of Sake prevents you from using one of your resources, be it a weapon, an item, or even your personal skill! You must always be wary not to drink too much or you risk becoming a defenseless sot in the hands of your enemies. On the other hand, you will be able to burn up some of the Sake you have drunk to obtain significant bonuses which may well save your life. Show yourself as the wise warrior you are and balance your strategy with care, not burning up too much Sake, thus finding yourself in the rear at the end of the game, when the Masu is empty and the Sudden death round begins. Those who will succumb to their enemies' blows won't be eliminated from the game, but will become Spirits of Enma, the thirsty god of death, and team up with the other Spirits to attack the living, aiming to steal their Sake. Raise your glasses (and your katanas)! Sake & Samurai is a board game for 3-8 Players about honor, blood and Sake. It is both a standalone game and an expansion for Beer & Vikings.. Integrates with: Beer & Vikings

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
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Player resources

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Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
3–8
Best with
4–8
Play time
45 min
Age
13+
Complexity
2.2/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Matteo Santus

Artists

1
Jocularis

Publishers

1
Albe Pavo

Linked items

No published linked games yet.